MAXINE GORDON concocts a curry to remember.

WARM, spicy and comforting, this curry is easy to make and really packs flavour.

I learned the method years ago while doing a feature on curry-making at the Bengal Brasserie in York. They called it "home-style", because, yes, you've guessed it, the chefs said this is how they made curries at home.

You begin by gently frying onion and spices in oil, then add the ingredients, letting them soak up all the aromatics.

Add a bit of stock for the "sauce" and let the flavours flood through the dish.

Serve with rice, chapati or naan bread and some plain yoghurt to temper the heat. For something sweet, you could add a dollop of mango chutney, or as I did here, fry cubes of pineapple so they are warm and slightly caramelised.

Veggies can switch the chicken for chickpeas instead.


Home-style chicken and butternut squash curry

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp of ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

pinch of chilli flakes (adjust to suit your taste)

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

4 chicken breasts, cut into decent chunks

salt and pepper for seasoning

1/2 litre chicken stock (or veg if using chickpeas instead of meat)


Method:

Splash of sunflower oil and olive oil in pan, then add onions and fry gently until turning soft and translucent. Add all spices and stir well. Add garlic and ginger, mix in.

Add cubes of butternut squash and mix again, making sure they get coated in the spicy onion mix.

Repeat with the chicken, then season, add stock and simmer for about 20 minutes until meat thoroughly cooked and butternut squash is soft.

If "sauce" is too runny, crush some of the cooked cubes butternut squash with a fork and mix it through to thicken.